Who are the Kennedys? Are they the brilliant, heroic, extraordinary people their admirers believe them to be? Or are they arrogant, competitive, self-absorbed children of a willful and immensely rich patriarch, as their detractors claim? In fact, they are all of these things and more.

Years in the making, based on hundreds of interviews with family members and associates and extensive research into archives and sources unused until now, this is the nationwide bestseller whose very publication caused an uproar in the press—the first and only book to fully penetrate the Kennedy inner sanctum and reveal the true, all-too-human saga behind America’s most famous family.

An immediate classic, The Kennedys combines intimate knowledge with a perspective free of obligations to family loyalties and myths, bringing the story of four generations of “America’s family” fully into view. Collier and Horowitz capture the strain of ambition, the dynastic ebb and flow, the invention of a mythic identity, the corrosive underside of the dream of Camelot—developed over four generations—that led one young Kennedy to say, “We broke the rules and in turn we were broken by them.” The Kennedys: An American Drama is a fascinating and brilliantly comprehensive history that brings together, for the first time, all the complex strains of the story of the Kennedys’ rise and fall.

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Quotes & Awards

“It is a hypnotically fascinating narrative that Peter Collier and David Horowitz have put together…An irresistible epic.”

“It’s a saga for sure, but between these covers, the mythology of the name is blown away.”

Forbes

A #1 New York Times Bestseller

Listener Opinions

by Erica | 7/30/2013

" A pretty good introduction to the repeated tragedies of the Kennedy family. "

by Lauren Lowther | 5/28/2013

" Good if you are interested in: Kennedys (a very detailed history), World War II history, 1950s world and domestic politics. Sometimes the detail is a bit much and makes it like ready a history textbook. Mostly good, however. "

by Allison Long | 6/1/2012

" I'm an avid Kennedy bio reader and 'The Kennedys' takes you through Joe Sr. to David Kennedy without ever being dull. It's a little disconcerting that by 'Kennedys', Collier means the men only. In fact, I have serious issues with that, but can appreciate a good story when I read it. "

by Amber | 2/21/2012

" Learned a lot of information that I never knew about the Kennedy family. Very interesting. "

" Interesting read, took me forever to get through though. It made the Kennedy family very unlikable, so I am guessing it is pretty acurate. "

Charles | 6/12/2011

" You may love or hate the Kennedys, but this is well written and highly fascinating account of power, family and politics.

I recommend it.

"

Jessica | 9/16/2009

" Interesting read, took me forever to get through though. It made the Kennedy family very unlikable, so I am guessing it is pretty acurate.
"

Lauren | 1/14/2008

" Good if you are interested in: Kennedys (a very detailed history), World War II history, 1950s world and domestic politics. Sometimes the detail is a bit much and makes it like ready a history textbook. Mostly good, however.
"

Other Titles by Peter Collier:

About the Author

Peter Collier has worked as an author and editor for over forty years. During that time, he has written novels, short stories and screenplays, along with bestselling biographies. His works include The Kennedys: An American Dream and The Anti-Chomsky Reader, both with David Horowitz.

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